Corrugated tube and an automatic wire-loading device therefor

ABSTRACT

A corrugated tube with a longitudinal slit is loaded with electrical wires and the slit is locked. This process is effected using one device and in a single step. The corrugated tube is provided on its outer surface with circular peaks and troughs alternating along the axial direction. The portions facing one another across the slit are provided with convex and concave shapes along the circumference of the tube forming female and male locking portions. The male locking portion is inserted under the female locking portion, so as to lock the slit. An automatic locking device has a tubular guiding unit having a slanted tube part, and a tubular locking unit. The wires pass through the slanted tube part and the tubular locking unit. The tubular guiding unit is inserted into the slit, and the corrugated tube inside the tubular locking unit. When the device and the corrugated tube are moved relative to each other in the longitudinal direction, the wires are transferred from the device into the corrugated tube and the slit is automatically locked.

This is a division of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 08/922,352, filedSep. 3 1997, U.S. Pat. No. 6,024,329 the contents of which are hereinincorporated by reference in its entirety.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to a wiring harness used in automobiles,and a device for protecting the wiring harness. More specifically, theinvention concerns a corrugated tube, through which the wiring harnesspasses and is protected thereby. Such a corrugated tube may have alongitudinal slit along the axial direction. In this construction, thetube is first opened along the slit, a group of electrical wires isloaded through the opening, and the opening is closed. The inventionalso relates to a device for inserting a group of electrical wires intothe corrugated tube, which can create a longitudinal slit in thecorrugated tube, insert the group of wires therein, and close and lockthe tube at the slit.

2. Description of Background Information

In the prior art wiring harness used in automobiles, the main portion ofthe harness is placed within a corrugated tube for protection. As shownin FIG. 1A, a corrugated tube 1-—1 can have a longitudinal slit S alongthe axial direction; as shown in FIG. 1C, the slit portion can have anoverlapping zone R in the axial direction. As shown in FIG. 1B, acorrugated tube 1-2 may be uniform (i.e., no slit).

In the case of the corrugated tube 1-2 without a slit, a connectorhousing (not shown) to be mounted on an end portion cannot pass throughthe corrugated tube 1-2. Therefore, the electrical wires must first beinserted through the corrugated tube 1-2, whereupon the connectorhousing is then mounted on the end portion of the wires as a final step.A such, the end portion of each electrical wire cannot be loaded intothe connector housing by an automatic process. This prevents automatingthe mounting process of the wiring harness.

For the corrugated tube 1-—1 with a slit, the group of electrical wiresare loaded simply by opening the tube at the slits. The connectorhousing can thus be connected to the group of electrical wiresbeforehand. Accordingly, the end portion can be inserted into theconnector housing by automation. However, when the corrugated tube 1-—1is bent as shown in FIG. 2, the slit S may open. It is thereforenecessary to seal the slit after the electrical wires are inserted intothe tube. To this end, tape can be wound around the outer circularsurface of the tube 1-—1. However, this tape-winding step is cumbersome,increasing manufacturing time and costs. This step is also necessary forthe corrugated tube 1-2 with an overlapping slit shown in FIG. 1C.

Referring now to FIG. 3, a prior art device 3 inserts the electricalwires into the above-mentioned tubes 1-—1 or 1-3 with a slits. Theelectrical wires W are inserted initially through the device 3. Device 3open's slits and installs wires W into the corrugated tube 1 as device 3moves down the length of the tube. In this construction, the connectorhousing C can be connected beforehand to the wire end portion.

However, device 3 only serves to pass the wires W into the corrugatedtube, and does. not otherwise obviate the need for tape.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

To overcome this problem, longitudinal zones flanking the slit may bedefined on the outer surface of the tube. Peak portions in those zonesmay be provided with corresponding female and male locking portionsextending from the slit in the circumferential direction. For example,these female and male portions may use sequential concave and convexstructures, viewed from the axial direction of the tube. Thisconfiguration extends from the slit side along the circumferentialdirection of the tube. When these male and female configurations aresuperposed, the tube is locked.

When such a tube is used, there is no need to close the slit with tape.However, after the wires are installed, a supplementary step ofsuperposing the female and male locking portions must be performed.

When the locking portions are installed on all the peak portions alongthe entire length of the corrugated tube, locking work is rathercumbersome. Further, when the electrical wires are tightly contained inthe tube, a strong outward force is exerted on the slit of the tube. Acorrespondingly strong force is therefore needed to superpose the femaleand male locking portions. Such a locking step can be extremelydifficult for the assembly workers. Moreover, after the electrical wiresare installed through the tube, the tube must be locked during aseparate step. This procedure requires a two-step operation (i.e.,installation followed by locking), increasing manufacturing time andassociated costs.

To enable automation of the operation of inserting the wire end portioninto the connector housing, a corrugated tube preferably has a slit. Theslit may be designed such that it can be closed easily. There istherefore no need for the application of tape. Further, it is desirableto combine the loading of the electrical wires into the tube and theautomatic locking of the tube thereafter into a single step.

To this end, there is provided a corrugated tube for protecting a wiringharness including of a plurality of electrical wires. The tube extendsin a longitudinal direction and has an outer surface with alternatingpeak and trough sections formed along the longitudinal direction thereofThe tube has a longitudinal slit with two sections facing each otheracross the slit. Each section has a sequential concave and convex shapedcross sections extending from the slit along the circumference of thetube defining female and male locking portions, respectively. The malelocking portion fits into the female locking portion, when locked, fromthe inside of the tube, so that the concave and convex configurations ofthe malelocking portion are securely superposed with the correspondingconcave and convex configurations of the female locking portion to closeand lock the slit.

In this corrugated tube, the female locking portion is wider in thelongitude direction of the tube that than the male locking portion.

The female locking portion may have sequential convex, concave andconvex shapes forming a series of a successive L-shapes extending fromthe slit along the circumference of the tube. The male locking portionhas sequential concave and convex shapes forming; a series of successiveV-shapes extending from the slit along the circumference of the tube.The plurality of electrical wires are loaded by opening the slit, andthe slit is subsequently closed and locked by superposing the male andfemale locking portions.

There is also provided a method of automatically loading and locking aplurality of electrical wires into a corrugated tube. A device isprepared having tubular guiding unit and a tubular locking unit. Theguiding At has a top projection part, a bottom slit-opening part and aslant tube part therebetween, and first and second ends, the slant tubepart being obliquely arranged from the top projection part at the firstend towards the bottom slit-opening part at the second end. The lockingunit has a first and a second end, and accommodates the corrugated tubeand locks the female and male locking portions. The second end of thetubular guiding unit and the first end of the tubular locking unit arelongitudinally connected, such that the slant tube part and the tubularlocking unit are inclined relative to each other. The plurality ofelectrical wires are loaded into the tubular guiding and locking units.The bottom slit-opening part of the tubular guiding unit is insertedinto the slit The corrugated tube is inserted into the tubular lockingunit. The tubular locking unit is moved relative to the corrugated tube,whereby the slit is opened, the electrical wires are loaded into thecorrugated tube, and the female and male locking portions are locked.

There is further provided a device for loading and locking a pluralityof electrical wires into the corrugated tube having an inner and anouter diameter. The device includes a tubular guide unit for guiding theplurality of electrical wires. The unit has a first and a second end. Atleast a slant tube part obliquely extends from the first end towards thesecond end. The slant tube part has an external diameter smaller thanthe internal diameter of the corrugated tube. A tubular locking unit hasa first and a second end to lock the slit The unit has an inner circularsurface along a longitudinal direction and a gradually decreasing innerdiameter from the first end towards the second end along thelongitudinal direction. The diameter at the second end is equal to theexternal diameter of the corrugated tube when it is locked. The tubularlocking unit can accommodate the corrugated tube and locking female andmale locking portions. The second end of the tubular guiding unit andthe first end of the tubular locking unit are longitudinally connected,such that the slant tube part and the tubular locking unit are inclinedwith respect to each other. In use, the unit accommodates the pluralityof electrical wires. When the when the slit-opening part is insertedinto the slit, the tubular locking unit contains the corrugated tube andsuch that when there is a relative movement between the tubular guidingunit and the corrugated tube, the plurality of electrical wires aretransferred into the corrugated tube, the female and male lockingportions are gradually brought closer together towards the second end ofthe tubular locking unit, and the slit is locked.

In the above device, the tubular guiding unit may further comprise aslit-opening part having a substantially round cross-section at thefirst end of the tubular guiding unit. The slit-opening part graduallyfuses with the slant tube part towards the second end thereof. Whenthere is a relative motion between the slit-opening part and thecorrugated tube, the slit is gradually opened and the plurality ofelectrical wires are loaded into the corrugated tube.

The tubular guiding unit may further include a projection along theslant tube part at a position distal to the slit-opening part. Thetubular guiding unit and the tubular locking unit are connected by thisprojection.

The inner circular surface of the tubular locking unit may be providedwith a pair of longitudinal ribs spaced from each other and adapted tomate with corresponding concave shape of the female and male lockingportions. The space between the pair of ribs gradually narrows from thefirst end of the tubular locking unit towards the second end thereofWhen the corrugated tube approaches the second end, the female and malelocking portions are superposed by virtue of a force exercised by thenarrowing ribs.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES

The above and other objects, features and advantages of the inventionwill be made apparent from the following description of the preferredembodiments, given as a non-limiting example, with reference to theaccompanying drawings, in which:

FIGS. 1A, 1B and 1C show prior art corrugated tubes with a slit, withoutslit and with an overlapping zone, respectively;

FIG. 2 schematically shows a prior art corrugated tube when the slit isdeflected;

FIG. 3 shows a prior art device for loading electrical wires into acorrugated tube, and illustrates its operation;

FIGS. 4A and 4B respectively show a cross-sectional view thecross-section being taken through the ridge portions, and a perspectiveview of an embodiment of the corrugated tube according to the presentinvention;

FIG. 5 shows a cross-sectional view of the corrugated tube with a slit,when the slit is closed and locked, a cross-sections being taken throughthe ridge portions;

FIG. 6 shows a plan view of female and male locking portions beforelocking;

FIGS. 7A and 7B, show a perspective view of a preliminary formedcorrugated tube and a cross-sectional view thereof the cross-sectionsbeing taken through the ridge portions, when forming the slit in acontainer, respectively;

FIGS. 8A ad 8B, show a cross-sectional view of the corrugated tube whenloaded with electrical wires and when locked, respectively thecross-section being taken through ridge portions and a member around thewires;

FIG. 9 illustrates a process of loading wires into the corrugated tubeusing the loading- and-locking and-locking device acccording to theinvention;

FIG. 10 shows a perspective view of the loading-and-locking device ofFIG. 9;

FIG. 11 shows a cross-sectional view of the loading-and-locking deviceof FIG. 9;

FIG. 12 shows a schematic side view of the loading-and-locking device ofFIG. 9;

FIG. 13 shows a schematic plan of the loading-and-locking device of FIG.9;

FIGS. 14A and 14B, show cross sections along the lines A—A and B—B,respectively; of FIG. 9 the cross-sections being taken through ridgeportions and a member around the wires; and

FIG. 15 shows a variant type of the loading-and-locking device accordingto the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

As shown in FIGS. 4A and 4B, the corrugated tube 10 according to thepresent invention has a plurality of circular peak sections 12 andtrough sections 13 on its outer surface, alternatively provided on tube10 at a predetermined pitch along the axial (longitudinal) direction.Tube 10 has a longitudinal slit 11 along the longitudinal direction ofthe tube.

The longitudinal slit 11 forms separated first and second longitudinalzones along the slit. The first longitudinal zone defines a plurality offirst peak sections 12 a, while the second longitudinal zone defines aplurality of second peak sections 12 b. The first and second peaksections 12 a and 12 b are provided with a concave and convex shapesrespectively. As discussed below, these shapes are closed in singlemotion to lock slit 11.

The first peak section 12 a makes up a female locking portion 14. Femalelocking portion 14 includes, sequentially from the slit 11counterclockwise in FIG. 4, an inserting convex shape 15 having anL-shaped cross-section and an open edge, a stopper concave shape 16, astopper convex shape 17, and a positioning concave shape 18 for definingthe position during cutting (discussed below). The second peak section12 b is a male locking portion 19. Portion 19 includes, clockwise inFIG. 4, a receiving convex shape 20 preferably having a V-shapedcross-section, a stopper concave shape 21, a stopper convex shape 22,and a positioning concave shape 23 for defining the position duringcutting.

As shown in FIG. 6, the insertion convex shape 15, stopper concave shape16 and stopper convex shape 17 of the female locking portion 14 have awidth W1 along he longitudinal direction, which is wider than the widthW2 of the corresponding shapes 20, 21, and 22 of the male lockingportion 19 (i.e., W1>W2). Thus, the male locking portion 19 easily fitsunder the female locking portion 14 (viewed from the tube axis).

Also, the corrugated tube 10 is provided with a longitudinal notch 24having a roughly inverted V-shaped cross-section. Notch 24 extendslongitudinally along tube 11 at a position distal to slit 11. Further,the stopper concave shape 16 of the female locking portion 14 has alength L1 around the circumference of tube 10, which is shorter than thelength L2 of the corresponding stopper concave shape 21 of the malelocking portion 19 (i.e., L1<L2).

As shown in FIGS. 7A and 7B, the corrugated tube 10 is initiallyfabricated in a circular form in which the edge of the inserting convexshape 15 of the female locking portion 14 and the receiving convex shape20 of the male locking portion 19 are integrally connected by a radiallyrising wall 25. The wall 25 is cut by a cutter 27 to form slit 11, i e.,female locking portion 14 and male locking portion 19 separate to defineslit 11 therebetween. When cutting with the cutter 27, the tube 10 isinstalled in a container 28 having a pair of holding ribs 29 whichengage concave shapes 18 and 23 respectively, so that the tube 10 isheld in the appropriate position.

A connector housing (not shown in the figures) is mounted at the end ofa plurality of electrical wires. In this state, as shown in FIG. 8A, theslit 11 of the corrugated tube 10 is open and the connector housing islaterally inserted thereinto through the slit.

Subsequently, the female and male locking portions 14 and 19 on theopposing sides of the slit 11 are pressed together. The male lockingportion 19 fits into the radially inner side of the female lockingportion 14, as shown in FIGS. 5 and 8B. Notch 24 provides sufficientflexibility to permit these opposing sides of slit 11 to be broughttogether and locked.

In this locking process, the receiving convex shape 20 (inverted V shapein the figures) is inserted under the convex shape 15 (L form), and thenmoves over the stopper concave shape 16 and finally fits into thestopper convex shape 17. At the same time, the stopper concave shape 21and convex shape 22 of the male locking portion 19 are tightlysuperposed on the inner side of the stopper concave shape 16 and theinserting convex shape 15 of the female locking portion 14,respectively.

As discussed above, the three sequential concave and convex formationsof the male locking portion 19 engage their counterparts at theunderside of the female locking portion 14. Especially, the fittedstopper concave shapes 16 and 21 are flanked by the respectively fittedstopper convex shapes. All the peak sections 12 at the sides of the slit11 thus securely lock the female locking portion 14 and the male lockingportion 19. Accordingly, it is not necessary to wrap the tube 11 in tapeas required in the prior art.

However, the present invention is not limited to the aforementionedembodiment. The locking mechanism may be provided using only some of thepeak sections near the slit edges, or at a predetermined pitch along theslit 11, instead of on all of the peak sections along the slit line asmentioned above.

Further, the locking mechanism is preferably provided on the peaksections of the tube, but not on the trough sections thereof. Thanks tothis configuration, the flexibility of the tube is not impaired. Afterbeing loaded with a wiring harness, the tube can still be curved or bentas desired.

Moreover, only part of a circular corrugated tube is cut to define aslit between female and male locking mechanisms. Carrying into practiceof the present invention is therefore very easy.

The present invention also relates to a method for loading a pluralityof electrical wires W into the above-mentioned corrugated tube 10 andlocking the tube. It further concerns a device specifically designed forthis purpose.

FIG. 9 shows a corrugated tube 10 and a wire-loading device 30 by whicha plurality of electrical wires are installed in the corrugated tube,where the slit of the tube is closed and locked.

The shape of wireloading device 30 is shown in FIGS. 9-13. A tubularguiding unit 32 for guiding the electrical wires includes at least leftand right wing parts (slant tube part) 32 a and 32 b integrally linkedat the underside of each wing. Guiding unit 32 connects with a tubularlocking unit 33 at a predetermined angle of inclination. The two unitscan be formed integrally from a resin. Tubular locking unit 33 has aleft and a right wing 33 a and 33 b integrally linked at the undersideof each wing. The wings of both units 32 and 3:3 extend upwardly to forma projection having opposed portions 34 a and 34 b. Thus, the projectionextends continuously from the tubular guiding unit 32 to the tubularlocking unit 33. The units 32 and 33 are opened by separating theopposed portions 34 a, 34 b, so that the electrical wires W can beinstalled in units 32 and 33.

Wings 32 a and 32 b of the tubular guiding unit 32 have an externaldiameter R1 smaller than the internal diameter of the corrugated tube10. The tubular guiding unit 32 may also be provided with a slit-fittingpart 35 for opening the slit 11 of the corrugated tube 10. Theslit-fitting part 35 is provided under wings 32 a and 32 b and extendsvertically forward of device 30.

This slit-fitting part 35 is formed by linking a semicircular shapedcross section to each of the wings 32 a and 32 b through a neck part 35a. When both wings 32 a and 32 b Acre pressed against each other, theslit-fitting part 35 has a round cross-section. The shape of theslit-fitting part 35 gradually merges into wings 32 a and 32 b movingfrom the front of guiding unit 32 to the rear, ending in a substantiallycircular rear opening 32 d .

Wings 32 a and 32 b of the tubular guiding unit 32 are integrally formedwith the left and right wings 33 a and 33 b of the tubular locking unit33 at the top ends thereof, respectively, so that rear opening 32 d ofthe tubular guiding unit 32 faces the front opening 33 c of the tubularlocking unit 33. A space S formed between the bottom-side outer surfaceof the tubular guiding unit 32 and the bottom-side inner surface of thetubular locking unit 33 corresponds to the thickness of the corrugatedtube 10.

The tubular locking unit 33 has a gradually narrowing diameter along itsaxis, from the forward end towards the rear thereof The narrow end 33 dhas an inner diameter equal to the outer diameter of the corrugated tube10 when it is locked.

The inner circular surface of the tubular locking unit 33 is providedwith a pair of ribs 33 f and 33 g at both sides of the upper opening 33e thereof. The pair of ribs 33 f and 33 g mate with the concave shapes18 and 23 of the female and male locking portions 14 and 19 of the tube10. Ribs 33 f and 33 g extend along the axial direction of unit 33. Thedistance D between ribs 33 f and 33 g gradually narrows towards an end33 d of the tubular locking unit 33. At the rear end 33 d of tubularlocking until 33, distance D is small enough such that female lockingportion 14 mates with male locking portion 19. Further, as shown in FIG.11, the inner surface of the tubular locking unit 33 is provided with arib 33 h at its bottom, which slidably mates with notch 24 in thecorrugated tube 10.

By using the above device, the electrical wires W are loaded into thecorrugated tube 10, and the slit locked, as follows.

The opposed portions 34 a and 34 b of the projection of the device 30are opened. The wires are loaded through the& tubular guiding unit 32 tothe tubular locking unit 33, as shown by the dotted lines in FIGS.11-13. In this state, the wires pass from the opening 32 d of the slanttube part 32 through the guide-side opening 33 c of the tubular lockingunit 33.

The corrugated tube 10 is then held with the slit 11 facing upwards. Theneck 35 a linking the tubular guiding unit 32 and the slit-fitting part35 is then inserted into slit 1. Thus, the slit-fitting part 35 isfitted into the corrugated tube 10.

Thereafter, as device 30 moves along corrugated tube 10, the shape ofouter circular surface of the slit-fitting part 35 forces slit 11gradually open wider and wider. When the edge of the corrugated tube 10is advanced into the guiding-side opening 33 c of the tubular lockingunit 33, the bottom part of the corrugated tube 10 is inserted into thespace S formed between the tubular guiding unit 32 and the inner surfaceof the tubular locking unit 33. The corrugated tube 10 is thus guidedinto the tubular locking unit 33.

When notch 24 of the tube 10 engages with the rib 33 h of the tubularlocking unit 33, the pair of ribs 33 f and 33 g on the tubular lockingunit 33 engage concave shapes 18 and 23 provided at the upper part ofthe tube 10, as shown in FIG. 14A.

When the corrugated tube 10 is inserted along the inner circular surfaceof the tubular locking unit 33, the electrical wires contained in thetubular guiding and locking units 32 and, 33 are inserted into thecorrugated tube 10, as shown in FIG. 14A. Namely, the electrical wirescontained in the tubular locking unit 33 automatically transfer into thecorrugated tube 10 as locking unit 33 moves along tube 10.

As the corrugated tube 10 advances relative to the tubular locking unit33 towards its end 33 d, the distance between the ribs 33 f and 33 gnarrows. The concave shapes 18 and 23 engaged with these ribs arebrought closer together. As shown in FIG. 14B, when the tube 10 arrivesat the edge 33 d of the tubular locking unit 33, the female and malelocking portions 14 and 19 of the tube 10 completely superpose, closingslit 11.

Accordingly, when the corrugated tube 10 exits from the edge 33 d of thedevice 30, the wires are loaded in the tube 10 and the slit 11 islocked.

Although, in the above-description, the corrugated tube 10 is movedvis-a-vis the device 30, it can be done inversely to obtain the sameresult and/or both items can be moved simultaneously.

FIG. 15 shows a variant type of the device 30, wherein the slit-fittingpart 35′ provided at the bottom part of the tubular guiding unit 32 hasa flat shape. This part 35′ is formed by flatly bending the left andright wings of the tubular guiding unit 32, at the position locatedunder (in FIG. 15) the wings 32 a and 32 b. In this configuration, theslit-fitting part 35′ is inserted into the slit 11 of the tube 10. Thetube 10 or the device 30′ (or both) is then moved in the longitudinaldirection. The slit 11 reaches the outer circular surface 32 c of thewings 32 a and 32 b, automatically widening slit 11. The other functionsare the same as in the aforementioned embodiment.

The bottom part of the tubular guiding unit 32 may be formed so as notto include a, slit-fitting part. In such a case, the slit 11 of thecorrugated tube 10 is directly opened along the bottom outer surface ofthe guiding unit 32. When the slit 11 is opened, the corrugated tube 10is inserted into the tubular locking unit 33 and fitted therewith. Then,the electrical wires W are loaded in the tube 10 and the slit 11 islocked.

By using the device 30 according to the invention, it is unnecessary towrap the tube in tape. Further, the wire is installed and the slitclosed in a single step, substantially reducing manufacturing time andassociated costs. A worker's workload is therefore greatly reduced andthe work efficiency is enhanced. Further, device 30 can be easilymanufactured by molding a resin and does not raise manufacturing costs.

Although the invention has been described with reference to particularmeans, materials and embodiments it is to be understood that theinvention is not limited to the particulars disclosed and extends to allequivalents within the scope of the claims.

The present application is related to Japanese Patent Application No.8-232783, filed Sep. 3, 1996, and Japanese Patent Application No.8-273442, filed Oct. 16, 1996, the disclosure of which is incorporatedby reference in their entireties herein.

What is claimed:
 1. A device for loading a plurality of electrical wiresinto a corrugated tube having an inner and an outer diameter, alongitudinal slit, and male and female locking portions along saidlongitudinal slit, said device comprising: a tubular guiding unit forguiding the plurality of electrical wires, said unit including first andsecond ends, and at least a slant tube part obliquely extending fromsaid first end towards said second end, said slant tube part having anexternal diameter smaller than said internal diameter of the corrugatedtube; and a tubular locking unit for locking said slit, said lockingunit having first and a second ends, and an inner circular cross sectionwith an inner diameter which gradually decreases from said first endtowards said second end, said inner diameter at said second end beingequal to an external diameter of the corrugated tube when locked, saidtubular locking unit being configured to accommodate the corrugated tubeand lock the female and male locking portions; said second end of saidtubular guiding unit and said first end of said tubular locking unitbeing longitudinally connected, such that said slant tube part and saidtubular locking unit are inclined relative to each other and adapted toaccommodate the plurality of electrical wires; and said first end ofsaid tubular guiding unit having a slit-opening part; wherein when saidslit-opening part is inserted into said slit, said tubular locking unitcontains the corrugated tube such that the plurality of electrical wiresare transferred into the corrugated tube and the female and male lockingportions are gradually brought closer together towards said second endof said tubular locking unit to lock the slit when said tubular lockingunit moves relative to the corrugated tube.
 2. The device according toclaim 1, wherein said slit-opening part has a substantially roundcross-section at said first end of said tubular guiding unit, saidslit-opening part gradually fusing with said slant tube part towardssaid second end thereof, wherein the slit is gradually opened and theplurality of electrical wires are loaded into the corrugated tube whensaid tubular locking unit moves relative to the corrugated tube.
 3. Thedevice according to claim 1, wherein an inner surface of said tubularlocking unit includes a pair of longitudinal ribs spaced from each otherwhich mate with corresponding concave shapes of the female and malelocking portions, a distance between said pair of ribs being graduallynarrowed from said fist end of said tubular locking unit towards saidsecond end thereof, wherein, when the corrugated tube approaches saidsecond end, the female and male locking portions are superposed byvirtue of a force exercised by said narrowing ribs.